Chelsea aiming to finalise Luiz deal

28 January 2011 07:30

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The prospect of David Luiz joining Chelsea before the transfer window closes should become a little clearer today when Carlo Ancelotti addresses the media.

Luiz was still a Benfica player this morning, although he appeared a step closer to moving to Stamford Bridge after a month of on-off negotiations. Portuguese giants Benfica yesterday released a statement to their country's stock exchange confirming they had received an offer, reportedly worth £26million, from the Blues for their 23-year-old Brazil defender.

It read: "A negotiation process between both parties is ongoing and the market will be informed when it is completed."

Chelsea supporters will hope for an update on the progress on those negotiations this afternoon when Ancelotti previews tomorrow's FA Cup fourth-round tie with Everton.

They have less than four days to reach an agreement with Benfica before the window shuts, which on paper is plenty of time.

However, they have been in and out of talks with the Portuguese champions for almost a month since seeing a reported £17million bid rebuffed at the end of December.

The clubs' current dispute reportedly centres on the precise make-up of the deal, with Benfica unwilling to entertain the fee being paid in instalments.

They are also said to be cool on the idea of a player-plus-cash arrangement, with Nemanja Matic - currently on loan at Vitesse Arnhem - having been mentioned as a possible makeweight.

Should the move go through before tomorrow, Luiz could be involved at Goodison Park.

The Blues travel to Merseyside looking to continue their recent revival following their worst run of results in the Barclays Premier League for almost 15 years. They have now won their last three in all competitions without conceding a goal, scoring 13 times in the process.